The Junior Academy Jazz course from the Royal Academy of Music (led by Gareth Lockrane since 2011) has been a major force in developing the next generation of jazz musicians since the inception of the course by Nick Smart in 2003.
There are many notable musicians who have been through the course and have gone on to forge impressive careers on the UK, European and world stages including Kit Downes, Alexandra Ridout, Jacob Collier, Joe Armon-Jones, Tom Barford, Nubya Garcia, Freddie Gavita and Tom Walsh and many others.
Workshops and masterclasses on the course have been led by some of the jazz world’s leading performers and educators including the original patron of the course, the late great Kenny Wheeler, and also Dave Liebman, our new patron Dave Holland, John Parricelli, Gerard Presencer, Norma Winstone, Julian Siegel, Stan Sulzmann, Mike Walker, Soweto Kinch, Tim Garland, Julian Arguelles, Chris Cheek, Alex Garnett, John O’Gallagher, Phronesis, Jean Toussaint, Jason Rebello, Pete King, Bokani Dyer, Clarence Penn, Adam Glasser, Gwilym Simcock, Nikki Iles, Paul Clarvis, Phil Robson, Gene Calderazzo & Jim Hart and many others!
Today’s performance will be a great chance to see the jazz stars of tomorrow currently studying on the course, led by course leader Gareth Lockrane and fellow tutor Matt Anderson, in a concert of especially arranged material by a wide variety of jazz composers including great pieces by Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Eddie Harris, Horace Silver and Joshua Redman among others. In these hard Covid-hit times of the past year, it will be especially heart warming to see these exceptional young musicians hit the stage together at last.